2003 Kentucky game

[Gato78]

Just watched it on FSN. Raft's greatest line ever: :Throw it down medium sized fella". What a great game and a great experience. Tears after that missing my late father who had passed 5 years earlier--thinking he should have been there. When Crean pulled Wade I said to Mrs. Gato "Why is he taking Wade out?". As Fr. Dan's Camera would say "We have lost bigger leads". After the game I hugged Fr. Wild. Mrs. Gato think I scared him. Stood at half court with Hizzoner while we cut down the nets. Saw George Thompson interview DWade on radio and thought about the generational change. What a frickin' party afterwards--Bob Diener drinking free all night. Mrs. Gato and I ended up partying with a bar full of students and thought nothing of it. What a great night!!

[MU/Panther]

Time Warner Sportschannel. Will replay later this week.

[Gato78]

You are correct.

[MUfan12]

I was a high school senior at the time, all set to go to MU. Sat about 10 rows behind the MU bench for that game. You weren't the only one in tears, Gato. A beautiful day, one of the best of my life.

[TheSultan]

I was on a long planned vacation to Florida. I came home to the following messages from my college roommate on my answering machine. (Yeah I still had one of those at the time.)

Monday before S16: "Hey, I got four tickets to the games this weekend and booked a couple hotel rooms. Let me know if you can go."

Tuesday: "Hey I'm going to need to know by tomorrow. Get back to me."

Wed: "Sorry man. I guess you might be gone."

Sunday after E8 win: "You missed a hell of a time."

<sigh>

My wife just looked at me and said "I am so sorry."

[Markedman]

I was in Myrtle Beach on a golf trip…..I told the guys I was playing with that I could only play the front 9 that day….I wasn’t missing the game…..I watched it by myself in the club house. None of my group were really MU fans so when they came back with about 7 minutes to go I was so pumped up I told them “If MU wins I’m buying dinner……you guys pick the place”


They became MU fans very quickly………..Dinner cost me about $250…..well worth it…….

[MUMac]

The Metrodome that afternoon and the hotel bar the remainder of the day were unbelievable. Just a great experience. As I was leaving the Metrodome, I called home to talk to my then grade school aged kids. My wife told me they were not home - they were running down the street with a MU flag screaming. That, I guess, was our version of the run to the lake.

Not to hijack the thread, but Thursday was Badger red day at my kids school. As I was getting ready to go to Minneapolis, they were getting ready for school. I was so proud to see each come down, unprodded, wearing their Marquette colors. They took a lot of abuse at school that day, but gave it all back on Friday - after the Badgers lost and Monday - after MU made it to the Final 4!

[MUwarrior1090]

I was only 13 years old at the time but my dad drove us up to Minneapolis from Milwaukee. Sat about as high as possible in an upper corner. Furthest I've ever been away at a basketball game in the football stadium. Well worth it.

Also went to the Holy Cross and Missouri games at the old RCA dome in Indy. UWM ended up playing at the same location and lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame when Dylan Page missed a layup with a few seconds left down 1. Looking back on it, I was beyond spoiled for a 13 year old, but I have my dad and those trips to thank for my current MU fandom. Been a die hard fan ever since. I remember skipping out of school early the next two years to watch MU in the C-USA tournament only to see 2 straight first round losses.

[CaribouJim]

So many great memories from that whole NCAA run. Got to all 5 games although my memory is kind of spotty on that 5th game - I think it was in the south somewhere - actually might have been called off due to bad thunderstorms. In any event, the Pitt and UK games were awesome.

The Wednesday before the Pitt game I had a meeting in Denver with a colleague who was a '70 grad from MU. We headed to the Denver airport after the meeting for a Thursday afternoon meeting in MPLS (I scheduled the meeting for the PM so I could rationalize an overnight stay and write the hotel off). While at the Denver airport waiting to board, there is Verne Lundquist reading the paper. We introduced ourselves and the conversation was mostly about skiing (my colleague lived and still lives in Montana and Verne is a big skier and lives in the Denver area) and Al. He was telling us a bunch of Al stories and was actually getting kind of choked up talking about him. When he got up to board I told Verne to "keep his eye out for #3 on Marquette" and he looked over his shoulder with a smile.

Pitt game was a monster - for some reason I was more nervous about that game than the UK game. Scott Merritt's biggest MU game (if not statistically the biggest, the most important) ever IMO and that shot by DWade - yikes. Fly back to Chicago Friday morning and drive back to MPLS Saturday for the UK game. Observations: The look of utter shock and dismay on Tubby's and the UK fans' faces when the lead kept growing and growing...the DWade slam...the Novak 3's including the 4 pt. play with special mention to the 3 where Travis started heading back on D and holding up the 3 signs on his hands before Novak even went up for the shot...when the game was pretty much secured I turned to the Mayor and said something like "is this really happening...we can't lose this game now". Heading back to the hotel to celebrate...half watching the 'Zona/KU game on a big screen TV and not really caring who won - we should have cared...seeing DWade and his then wife sitting in the corner of the room still in a state of disbelief.

Like to experience a run like that at least once more in my lifetime.

[MUMac]

I am sure that some of us partied together that night. We just did not know each other yet.

[CaribouJim]

I am sure that some of us partied together that night. We just did not know each other yet.

No doubt.

[TrevorCandelino]

Hundreds of purple shots with Ron Curry in Indy, Minneapolis, and New Orleans. That run was amazing.

[IrwinFletcher]

I was at the game. Piece of crap venue for a great game. As the place cleared out, my buddy and I edged down as close to the court as we could. I managed to snag the final box score sheet they hand out on press row. Later at the hotel during the party, I got Crean to sign it. Have it hanging on the wall and reminds me all the time of a great season.

[2012Warrior]

I was in 8th grade and went up with my family and some other alums. Great time. We stayed in the Kentucky hotel (didn't know that before going up). One of my favorite memories was at breakfast that morning, my cousin and a UK fan both went up for an omelet, thinking it was theirs. Without skipping a beat, my cousin said, "You take the omelet, as long as we get the game." Had a nice laugh and the UK guy took the omelet. Not sure how the food was, but the game sure was fun.